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Warning: This post contains SPOILERS for Saw X
Halloween 2023 is right around the corner, and joining the brand-new Exorcist movie, The Exorcist: Believer, in the run-up is a return to the Saw franchise with Saw X, which has reunitedhorrorfans with their favorite sadistic mastermind.
Saw X: Is The Tenth Movie A Prequel? Timeline Explained
Jigsaw is alive and kicking. We explain if Saw X is a prequel and how the tenth installment fits into the franchise’s timeline.
Not only does Saw X give John Kramer, a.k.a. Jigsaw, a more prominent role in the franchise’s longest entry to date, but it also makes the story accessible to newcomers who fancy a gore fest this spooky season. We explain if Saw X is the last movie in the franchise.
Is Saw X The Last Movie In The Franchise?
No, Saw X is not the definitive end to the franchise, nor is it likely to be the last movie released within this universe. That being said, another Saw movie has not been confirmed by Lionsgate. However, none of the previous ten entries were confirmed to be in the pipeline before an installment came out.
We’ve also got the Saw producers, Mark Burg and Oren Koules, who are confident that Saw 11 will go ahead, but they’re just waiting to see how the tenth entry performs at the box office, and hopefully, they’ll then receive the green light. Speaking toDexerto, Koules said that they would “bet on” another sequel.
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The Saw franchise is very much hinged upon fan demand, and despite previous sequels underperforming and underwhelming narrative-wise, the macabre appeal to the “torture porn” concept is the primary driving force behind this phenomenon. The franchise released an entry every year for six years, from the first Saw movie in 2004 to Saw 3D in 2010. There was then a seven-year break before Jigsaw was released in 2017, followed by the spin-off Spiral in 2021, and now Saw X two years later.
Judging by fans' and critics’ reactions to Saw X, it’s clear that the fan base is very much invested in the story and presence of Tobin Bell’s protagonist and his loyal apprentice Amanda Young, played by Shawnee Smith. Spiral was so far removed from the main story that it failed to leave a lasting impression, and the subsequent sequels after John’s death in Saw III began to lose its spark as other characters bled into John’s legacy. Therefore, if Saw 11 were to keep John tethered to a leading role in another prequel, fans would definitely be seated.
How Does Saw X’s Post-Credits Scene Set Up The Next Sequel?
During Saw X’s mid-credits scene, viewers see a lying cancer patient and con artist, Henry Kessler, get his comeuppance after the events of the movie. Henry is seen tied up in the middle of a white room, revealed by the gradual ignition of the overhead lights to be the grungy bathroom that was the primary setting from the first 2004 film. Addressing Henry, John is joined in the room by his apprentice and corrupt cop, Mark Hoffman, who aids Jigsaw’s stomach-clawing trap attached to the victim.
Speaking withEW, Saw X director Kevin Greutert described Hoffman’s return as “the most fan servicey thing that we did in this film:”
In the same interview, Anthony Stabley explained how the team recreated the iconic room that trapped Dr. Lawrence Gordon and Adam in the first movie:
“We looked at the tile, we were very precise in the way we recreated that. My set designers pulled their hair a little because we wanted it to be true.”
Greutert was then asked if the post-credits scene hints at where the franchise is going next, and it’s safe to say that there are plenty of surviving characters left to explore and expired characters that could continue their story in flashback:
“After we finish every Saw film, we think, well, there’s no place left to go from here. In the case of this one, we have surviving characters that could come back in a Saw film, or maybe there would be another storyline altogether, hopefully one that still includes Tobin Bell’s character.”
Since Saw X takes place after the events of the first movie and before the torture house in the direct sequel, the creators could definitely continue to explore the narrative that went down between entries, building on John’s story, the trail of human betrayal he faced as a terminal patient, and the journey of his apprentices.
